Monthly Archive

Tower Defense games are probably my favorite type of single player games. I can spend hours setting up my towers and fighting off whatever “bad guys” come my way. Everything from balloons to aliens…and now, pirates!

This pirate theme tower defense game changes things up a little bit, with much more than just shooting towers – this game uses traps and lures. The more traps a pirate hits, the bigger your score. So far I’m loving using the swinging and rolling logs to pin-ball my pirates from trap to trap.

I give this game a 5/5 score – with a caution: If you’re anything like me, prepare to spend quite a while playing with this game!

I have to admit I was not sure about this book when I first picked it up. But I like knitting, and I loved Debbie Macomber’s Shop on Blossom Street series. I was impressed with the writing style. It was easy and unforced, and made me feel as if I could walk into that knitting shop and know everyone there. I wanted to taste Dakota’s cookies, and walk through the rows of colorful wool imagining my next project.

I found the story line believable. A single mom raising a daughter in New York, with the real challenges that come with impending teen-hood, owning a small business, and renewed contact with people from your past. The dynamic between the women was great to “watch.” Each unique and viewing knitting from a different perspective, they became more than businesswoman and customers, they became friends, family.

I was caught off guard by the ending. It was unexpected, yet believable at the same time. It was gut wrenching, terrible and sad. I normally hate sad endings, but I couldn’t give up on this one. I had to see it through. And though it was sad, I’m glad I finished. Even in it’s sad ending, the story was rich and beautiful. I’m now looking forward to the sequel, which takes place 10 years later, and hope to be reunited with some old friends, see the life after tragedy, and meet the young girl turned woman and find out if she’s still baking mouth watering treats and charming all she meets.

I give this book a 4/5 rating and would recommend it anyone who has faced the challenges of life and was grateful for the support and understanding of the women around her.

One of the things I love to do is watch my favorite shows on Hulu. I don’t watch a ton of TV generally, but there are a couple shows (Bones, Hell’s Kitchen) that I like. Hulu is a free site that lets you “subscribe” to any of their shows and watch them whenever you want. It keeps track and saves a queue of new episodes too. Did I mention this was free? Sure, you have to watch a few seconds of commercials now and then, but nowhere near the 5 minutes you’ll spend watching them on TV for every few minutes of show.

I like watching on my computer because I can plug in my headphones and watch. Then I can pause to look something up, or whatever, and come back to it when I’m ready. Another thing I like is having a whole season (or more) of the show I’m watching, so I can have a marathon if I want, or catch up on something newly discovered. There’s lots of old shows and movies too whenever there’s nothing new in my queue.

Now, back to Hell’s Kitchen…I’ve got three episodes saved up, and the kids are down for naps!

Natural pet care is something I’ve been interested in for a long time. Finding natural products and organic food for humans can be hard…seems to be ten times harder for pets! But I finally stumbled upon a site that has the products I want, and delivers locally.

The things on my list were:

A natural hairball remedy – Mocha is the queen of grooming, but her late night presents right on my path to the bathroom are not something I enjoy.

Natural ingredients senior cat food – Monty is not quite ready, but Mom’s cats are 10 and ready to make that transition to a diet better suited to their age.

Natural vitamins and minerals supplement – After the ear infection Mom’s cats had, and the heavy duty treatment, a natural supplement to build their immune systems back up is really important.

I was able to find everything I was looking for, plus the prices were actually quite reasonable and comparable to regular products at my local pet store. Gotta love great prices!

Ok, I’ll admit, I’m a Jim Carrey fan. I don’t love ALL of his movies, but when he makes one like “Yes Man” I’m thrilled. He’s done some weird stuff, but this isn’t it. The plot of “Yes Man” is easy to follow and believable. Carrey plays Carl Allen, a man that is afraid to take risks. He’s been left by the woman he loved, is passed over for promotion and avoids his friends for fear of running into his ex. All of that changes when an old friend shows up and challenges him to just say “yes.”

Carl’s first yes sets off a chain of events that turns his life upside down and introduces him to Allison (played by Zooey Deschanel) a free spirit who charms him with her adventurous lifestyle. How long can he keep saying yes? Longer than you might think!

This movie will make you grin, giggle and even laugh if goofy humor is your thing. Charming and fun, I give this movie 4/5 stars and a great big “would watch again!”

Flash games can be addicting, and this one is no exception. “Bipole” over on Jay is Games, utilizes the positive and negative charge effect (here denoted by color) on cute little balls in circular rooms. There is always some obstacle to overcome in making the opposites attract and win each round, and while some solutions seem obvious, executing them can be quite tricky!

This game is simple enough to only require very basic instructions on the first few levels, yet challenging enough to keep you playing, wondering just what the next level will throw at you.

I give Bipole a rating of 4/5. It’s not an amazingly new concept blowing your mind and banishing thoughts of all other games, but it is fun and plenty addictive for little round balls in a little round room!

“Payback” by Fern Michaels, is the second book in the Sisterhood series.

In this second book, the sisters are together again ready to right another wrong. The story is Julia’s mission to bring her husband, who infected her with AIDS, to justice – sisterhood style. Under Charles’ watchful eye Julia and the rest of the sisters come up with a fitting punishment an enact their justice while trying not to get caught.

As with the first book, I love the idea of this story. I cheer the girls on as they hatch their plans and wish I had my own secret computer command center! I get a bit irritated when the sisters peck at each other, especially when the motivation seems a bit of a stretch. I feel like they should be pulling together just a bit more with a successful mission under their belts, and the very real danger of being discovered threatening them all.

The dialogue and editing were a bit better with the second book, and the characters overall are a bit more believable. I would have liked to see more development in the “how” of the story, rather than just having Charles magically make things work all the time, but I think that’s just the mystery and crime novel lover in me. I gave this book three stars, and would recommend it to anyone who likes the idea of a sisterhood of women banding together to bring justice to those that deserve it.

30 minutes, three times a week? That’s something I can do! I decided to take the plunge and sign up for a curves membership. As any mom will tell you, it is not easy to set aside personal time, but I decided it was necessary. I need some me time, and I want to put it to good use. With the hubby on board…and my training sessions out of the way, I’m on track and loving it.

Being an evening person, and not by any stretch of the imagination a morning person, I’ve opted to do my workouts in the evenings after Jer gets home and can watch the kids. I love that curves is women only…I don’t feel so self conscious when things…jiggle. Can I feel the burn? Oh yes. Even with just 30 minutes, I feel tired and sweaty but very proud of myself at the end of each session. That first one was a killer though…I was very happy to take a nice warm bath and relax those screaming muscles that first night!

I also enjoy the atmosphere at my local curves, the women are nice, and chatter about everyday things like washing machines and kids as they work out. The age range varies, but no kids are allowed so I can relax and just be one of the girls.

It’s too soon to tell if I’ve lost weight, but overall, after just a few workouts, I feel healthier and happier – which is my goal in the first place! So no matter what the scale says at the end of the month, I feel like I’ve accomplished something already.